understandable
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of understandable
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: originally, “capable of understanding”; understand + -able
Explanation
Something understandable can be understood or grasped. It makes sense. Since understanding something means you comprehend or get it, when things are understandable, they can be perceived or fathomed. If a friend cancels plans to see a movie because he's sick, that's understandable. Leaving one job for a better paying job is understandable. Eating a lot of cake on your birthday is understandable. Understandable things are easy to grasp and no one is likely to doubt or question them. The opposite of understandable would be weird, odd, or inexplicable.
Vocabulary lists containing understandable
-able, -ible
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-able, -ible
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-able, -ible
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And, yes, the desire to do things yourself is understandable, if sometimes regrettable.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
That players will, at the very least, consider their futures at Etihad Stadium in the event of demotion would be understandable.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Inflation risks remain elevated and there is likely an understandable level of skepticism over a potential deal to halt the Middle East conflict, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Von der Leyen reassured the PM, saying: "These things are understandable."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Yes, there were mistakes, some fine-tuning needed, but it was perfectly legible, and, more important, perfectly understandable.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
